Demographics

Through February and March, the number of US ‘job losers’ surged by almost half a million. Constituting the largest two-month increase in Americans who have lost their job since the depth of the pandemic. Unless we see a big drop in the number of job losers in the coming months, the correct investment strategy is still to position for a US recession that starts in 2023.

Bullish equity sentiment may persist in the second quarter on the Fed’s pause, but tight monetary policy, financial instability, elevated recession odds, extreme US polarization and policy uncertainty, and still-high geopolitical risk should encourage investors to maintain a defensive position for the coming 12 months.

This week we are sending you a Style Chart Pack, which now includes a standalone macro section, as well as macro, fundamentals, valuations, technicals, and uses of cash charts for the S&P 500, Defensives vs. Cyclicals, Growth vs. Value, and Small vs. Large. In the front section of this publication, we will review recent equity performance, and attempt to answer real estate sector-related questions that are foremost in investors’ minds.

In this Strategy Outlook, we present the major investment themes and views we see playing out for the rest of 2023 and beyond.

This week’s <i>Special Report</i>, written by Miroslav Aradski, highlights the worrisome deterioration in health trends in the US, which began before the pandemic. Over the long haul, this could weigh on labor supply and productivity, put upward pressure on bond yields, and hurt equity multiples.

US domestic politics, hypo-globalization, and Great Power Competition favor a revival of US manufacturing capacity. The industrial sector will benefit from the attempt to rebuild US manufacturing. Go long physical infrastructure and defense stocks. Find opportunities to take a long position on the universe versus the metaverse.

In this Special Report, BCA’s Foreign Exchange Strategy and Global Fixed Income Strategy teams argue that as the lagged impact of higher interest rates hits the Canadian economy, what will initially appear as a potential hard landing will morph into a mild slowdown. During the process, Canadian government bonds will outperform, and the CAD will drop, setting the stage for a coiled-spring rebound.

The risk of a recession in 2023 is being supplanted by the risk of another inflation wave. We will turn more defensive on equities if it continues to look like inflation is making a comeback.

Heading into a black hole, you pass a point of no return known as the ‘event horizon’ after which your impending oblivion is sealed. US recessions also have an event horizon, which we are fast approaching. We reveal a leading indicator of this event horizon, and what it means for investment strategy.

Global investors should sell Chinese assets on strength this year and diversify into other emerging markets. American investors should limit China exposure. Short CNY-USD.